Both gas dynamic and mechanical methods and means for acting on the gas stream flowing out of the nozzle of a rocket engine in order to create control moments causing the rocket to turn in three planes (pitch, yaw and roll) are known.
The present invention relates to mechanical means ensuring the generation of control moments influencing the rocket during its flight.
In particular, the following methods and means relate to mechanical methods and means for controlling the flight of a rocket by acting on the gas stream.
An engine mounted with the possibility of its rocking in two mutually perpendicular planes is known ("Liquid-Propellant Rocket Engine Construction and Design" edited by Prof. G. G. Gakhun, Moscow, Mashinostroenie, 1989, p. 355, FIG. 14.3).
Limitations of this technical solution include first of all the placement of a hinge between the structural frame and the engine, and, accordingly, the necessity to ensure a turn of the whole engine when the gas stream is acted on. This increases the weight of the control actuators and makes flight control more difficult in the rocket stabilization mode. Furthermore, it not possible to reduce the load on the hinge by the thrust force, since the hinge is mounted between the frame and the engine.
Mounting the chamber with the possibility of its rocking in a gimbal is known ("Liquid-Propellant Rocket Engine Construction and Design " edited by Prof. G. G. Gakhun, Moscow, Mashinostroenie, 1989, p. 374, FIG. 14.10).
Disadvantages of this known technical solution include the substantial weight of the gimbal and the bearing unit, since they take up the whole thrust of the engine chamber, and it is not possible to reduce the load on these units.
Mounting the chamber with the possibility of its rocking in one plane on a bearing unit relative to an immovably fixed tube through which one of the propellant components is fed is known (GB, A, 1008156).
Limitations of this technical solution include the necessity for accurate assembly and adjustment of the position of the bearing unit supports in order to achieve the required coaxiality and uniformity of the transfer of thrust to the structural frame, and also the possibility for the chamber to only turn in one plane, which limits its use in single-chamber engines.
A rocking unit for the chamber of a liquid-propellant rocket engine with afterburning is known, which comprises a chamber, mounted on a gimbal, and a bellows unit ("Liquid-Propellant Rocket Engine Construction and Design" edited by Prof. G. G. Gakhun, Moscow, Mashinostroenie, 1989, p. 375, FIG. 14.11).
The known technical solution ensures rocking of the chamber in two mutually perpendicular planes. At the same time, this technical solution, in the form in which it is presented in the above publication does not have means ensuring the serviceability of the bellows unit in a medium of oxidizing, high-temperature, high-pressure gas, means ensuring a reduction of the load on the bearing supports of the gimbal, and also means ensuring stability of the bellows envelope when it is bent to a substantial angle, for example, within the range of 10-12 degrees.